Block · one region of the page, as the scanner read it. It may hold a whole story, part of one, several, or an advertisement; stitching blocks into articles is the next step. Text is supplied OCR.
Page 12 · column 3 of 7 · from the scan, no model involved
birthing rookeries. Mothers continue to forgo feeding during the first 7-10 days after parturition to defend the baby snakes (which are venomous at birth).
It isn’t until young begin to move away from the rookeries that mothers finally begin hunting for themselves again. Not surprisingly, females in these species are capable of producing young only every 3-4 years during which time they build up fat reserves that are consumed during this arduous process.
Baby pit vipers are subject to predation by hawks, foxes, skunks and other snakes, but adult snakes have few predators except humans. In the past bounty hunts have targeted the vulnerable wintering dens and all but eliminated timber rattlers from many northeastern states. Various organized hunts and “rattlesnake roundups” are still carried out in some states.
Hunting of these snakes has always been justified because of the perceived threat they pose to humans. But what is the threat? In North America, about 8,000 people are bitten by venomous reptiles, mainly snakes, each year. Bites almost never result in death, but they are painful and damaging and require immediate medical attention. Some people are bitten after stepping on basking snakes in the woods or along trails. But most bites are to people who try to handle them, many to people who keep them as pets. If there is a threat from these snakes, it would appear to be similar to that posed by other dangerous animals best left alone.
91.2%